Tracey Spicer's #metoo investigation team the target of death threats

Members of the investigation team working with Tracey Spicer to uncover sexual misconduct within Australia’s media and entertainment industry say they have been targeted with death threats.

The veteran journalist and broadcaster first revealed she was probing to expose “long-term offenders” in the media industry in a Tweet on 18 October last year.

Since then, a joint investigation between ABC and Fairfax Media, the latter of which Spicer is a columnist, has revealed allegations against television personality Don Burke and actor Craig McLachlan.

Burke, 70, has been accused of indecently assaulting, sexually harassing and bullying employees in the late 1980s and 1990s during the show’s 17-year run on the Nine Network. He is no longer employed by Nine.

McLachlan has been accused of indecent assault and sexual harassment during the 2014 run of the Rocky Horror Show musical.

Journalist Tracey Spicer is investigating misconduct in the Australian media industry. (AAP) ()

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“Feel free to express an opinion about our #metoo #timesup investigation. But be aware that death threats on social media can carry a strong penalty. And we are not afraid to take action. That is all,” Spicer wrote.

Spicer confirmed the threats when contacted by nine.com.au, though declined to comment on any specifics.

“Unfortunately, the social media threats are becoming more aggressive as the investigation continues,” she said.

“The people who have tweeted me to say they hope I get raped, hope I never work again and that they wish to spit in my face are incredibly hard to ignore,” Ms Browne Tweeted on January 9.

“But the amount of love is drowning them out. So, I thank you. Rising above is hard, but I’m trying.”

Spicer says she has been hit hard by the threats to Ms Browne.

“I'm devastated about the threats Christie is receiving,” she told nine.com.au.

“This is one of the many reasons women are reticent to come forward about their alleged experiences. It can be extremely re-traumatising.

“However, thanks to the #metoo movement, there are so many women standing up and telling their stories that they vastly outnumber the handful of unhinged trolls. These threats will not deter us from digging deeper to uncover the true scale of sexual harassment in the Australian workplace.”

Spicer’s investigation has adopted the #metoo and #timesup monikers borne out of sexual misconduct allegations against US mega producer Harvey Weinstein in October last year.